Great white sharks have begun swarming off the coast of Cape Cod to feast on seals.
More of the predators are arriving in the area as the weather warms, with several confirmed sightings logged by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which allows visitors to log them through an app.
On June 5, there were four great white shark sightings in the Cape Cod waters.
The first sighting happened at 7.23 AM, halfway between Cape Cod and Nantucket, Boston.com reported. Later that morning, a great white shark was spotted feasting on a seal near Monomoy Island—a video of the encounter posted to Twitter shows the water turning red as the shark splashes around in the water, hunting its prey.
There have also been two dead white sharks spotted on Cape Cod's beaches, Boston.com reported.
In May, OCEARCH tracked one of its tagged sharks called Andromache close to the shores of Martha's Vineyard. The 10 foot 8 inch shark was one of the first to arrive in the area.
This population of North Atlantic sharks visit Cape Cod annually over the summer months, specifically to feast on the abundant seal population in the area.
Gregory Skomal, a marine biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, previously told Newsweek at the end of May that the bulk of the population will not arrive until July, although this depends on water temperature. A select few individuals may begin to arrive from mid-May onwards.
Peak months for the sharks are August, September and October.
During these months, there can be so many sharks in the area that some beaches issue shark warnings to vacationers, who may be swimming in the water.
Great white sharks have attacked humans five times in the area since 2012. One attack in 2018 was fatal. The 26-year-old victim had been at Newcomb Hollow Beach when a great white shark attacked.
Great white sharks visit Cape Cod on their annual migration. They typically spend the winters in the south, then migrate along the East Coast to Canada.
Scientists believe the sharks mate in the waters off North Carolina before heading north during the spring and summer, stopping off in Cape Cod along the way.
Great white sharks are not the only predators that have been spotted cruising Cape Cod waters recently.
Earlier in May, a solitary killer whale was sighted off the coast of Nantucket. The 30 foot long bull is known as 'Old Thom' and has been sighted in the area before. However it is incredibly rare.
The whale prefers to feast on school fish, and has not yet been observed hunting the great white sharks. However some orca have been known to feast on white sharks in other parts of the world.
Some scientists believe that if Old Thom stays in the area for too long, it could cause conflict, or deter the great white sharks from staying in the area.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
